Story+1978-12-08+Houston,+TX

"What´s the rush? I just got here....this is for all the folks from the Liberty Hall-days...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´It´s Hard To Be A Saint In The City´´**

"How´s everybody been, huh, alright? (crowd cheers) what´s with the lousy weather?....it´s like New Jersey down here now....why don´t you guys go sit down, you´re making me nervous....somebody help these people find their seats....here´s ´Darkness On The Edge Of Town´...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Darkness On The Edge Of Town´´**

"It’s combat conditions . . . Huh?....we´ll do that, alright, we´ll play that one....this is, uh, damn....this is a song, I guess I wrote during the ´Darkness´ album, this is called ´Independence Day´...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Independence Day´´**

"(some people yell for ´Fever´) Maybe....here´s ´Promised Land´...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´The Promised Land´´**

"Let´s see if you can prove it all night....this is for everybody way up on the hill...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Prove It All Night´´**

"Alright, this is for the fellow from Louisiana....how come I never see you in Louisiana?....I only see you in Texas....so that´s the kind of guys you are, huh?....this is ´Racing In The Street´....this is for Roberto, wherever that crazy fool may be (chuckles)...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Racing In The Street´´**

"This is for the guys that, uh, that painted up the Texas version of the billboard, alright (chuckles) I know you´re out there, this is for you guys...." [Bruce is referring to the events of July 1978, when he and other band members spray painted a billboard advertising //Darkness On The Edge Of Town// on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles]
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Jungleland´´**

"Thanks (crowd cheers) Clarence Clemons on the saxophone (crowd cheers) E Street Band (crowd cheers) thanks, I'd just like to announce that if anybody came here to throw firecrackers or bottles, you can get the fuck out, ok? (crowd cheers) and that, uh, if anybody sees anybody doing that, tell somebody so we can get their asses out of here, I came to Houston to play for you guys and you guys paid your money so you can sit and watch without getting blown up or, or buzzed off or fucked up, alright? (crowd cheers) so we'll be back in 20 minutes to do another set for you (crowd cheers)..."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, after "Jungleland"**

"This is a brand new song, this is called ´The Ties That Bind´...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´The Ties That Bind´´**

"Alright...OKAY, what do you got there, some old posters? ,,,You guys there....I´ll set the scene for you: it was a cold December night, it was Christmas Eve....and me and Steve are walking home from a bar down the boardwalk....it´s snowing.... [OUT->and] as we look up in the distance, we see something coming towards us...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Santa Claus Is Coming To Town´´**

"Alright, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, all that stuff (chuckles) . . .“ [OUT-> and all that stuff....´´]
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´The Fever´´ (following ´´Santa Claus....´´)**

"Alright, some girl up front asked for this song before so this is for her so, wherever she is.... this is called ´Fire´....
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Fire´´**

(...) (Crowd cheers) Please, this next part is very difficult....Romeo and Juliet. . . Yeah! (at very end)“

"This is a new song....you wake up and find that....you´ve been shot point blank . . . point blank...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Point Blank´´**

"Wait a minute! . . . Big Man! . . . Let me tell you . . . It’s like this . . . I call her up . . . She ain’t home . . . I stop by her house . . . She ain’t home . . . I send her a letter . . . I get no reply . . . I wanna lay down . . . and die . . . Sometimes, I drive by her house . . . real late . . . I see two silhouettes ... on the window shade (chuckles) . . . and then . . . I GET MAD! . . . like Al Capone . . . I GET MAD! . . . like Jesse James . . . I GET MAD! . . . like Smokin’ Joe . . . I GET MAD! . . . like a Pretty B, Pretty Boy Floyd . . . I GET MAD! . . . like Popeye (chuckles) . . . Sometimes, Big Man . . . I get SO mad . . . (Fan yells: How mad?) . . . How mad? (chuckles) . . . How mad is it? (chuckles) . . . I get SO MAD . . . that, I just wanna . . . I just feel like I have to . . . (band stops) . . . I just . . . I just wanna . . . I feel like if I don’t . . . I feel like I just have to. . . I feel like if I don’t I just gotta. . . I feel like I wanna. . . I feel like I wanna. . . I just don’t know. . .“
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, “I Get Mad!” in “She’s The One”**

"Can you see me in that thing?....can you? (crowd cheers)....(chuckles)....
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Backstreets´´**

(....) I remember you....little girl, I remember you.....and I know [OUT->knew] you remember me too....I remember riding out....I remember running outside of town....and I remember that old field ....and I remember that stripped-down Cadillac....and I remember baby´d....take me riding in back....take me riding in back....(long instrumental part)..."

"If ever was the night . . . Rosie, come out to-night . ..
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, middle of ´´Rosalita´´**

(…) On the piano....Professor Roy Bittan.....on the guitar....Miami Steve Van Zandt....on the bass, Mr.Garry W. Tallent....on the drums, the Mighty Max Weinberg....on the organ, Mr.Dan Federici....and last but not least....king of the world.....master of the universe....your next governor....is it a bird?....is it a plane?....is it the Big Man?....Clarence Clemons on the saxophone....."

”Big Man. . . E Street Band. . . “
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, ´´Encore Break´´ (following ´´Rosalita´´)**

"Thanks....I wanna thank everybody for coming down tonight, thank you very much....(?) (chuckles)....I´d like to thank all you guys, I know a lot of you guys stand out in line for a long time waiting to buy tickets and stuff....so we wanna thank you guys, hang in there (chuckles) here´s to you...."
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Born To Run´´**

”Are you loose? (crowd yells: “Yeah!”). . . As loose as this? (crowd yells). . . Good. . . Let’s go. . . 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . . . . Oh. . . Bring it down now boys. . . So you guys down here in Texas think you´re tough, huh? (crowd cheers). . . Big Man, come here. . . I want you to help me out here. . . What I wanna know.. . . Are you tough enough, to stand it, when me and the Big Man, do this? . . . And can you take it, when me and the Big Man, do this? (crowd cheers). . . Can you hold on. . . when we. . . do this? (crowd cheers). . . But. . . now. . . we´re gonna separate the men and the women … from the boys and the girls. . . . . . Are you ready? . . . Are you ready? . . . Are you ready? . . . Are you ready? . . . Are you ready? . . . I don’t think you’re ready. . . Are you ready? . . . Are you ready? . . . Ready? . . . Ready? . . . Yeah! . . . . . . "
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, middle of ´´Detroit Medley´´**

”I can’t stop! . . . a-1, 2, 3, 4,. . . “
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro to ´´Tenth Avenue Freeze Out´´**

"This is a song we haven´t done yet on this tour (crowd cheers) . . . Don´t stop yelling, you got me excited (crowd cheers) . ..
 * 08.12.78 Houston, TX, intro & outro to ´´You Can´t Sit Down´´**

(…) We’re gonna go hide behind the curtain. . . you guys yell, then we come back out and do another one, okay? (crowd cheers). . .”

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//